Tusk Top Rack: Rugged, Versatile & Budget-Friendly Rear Rack

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Some dual sport motorcycles come from the factory without much in the way of luggage hauling accessories. Equipping your bike for adventure travel can be a lengthy and expensive process. One of the easiest and least expensive upgrades you can make is adding a top rack. This simple add-on greatly improves cargo carrying capability by allowing you to attach a variety of different items to your motorcycle, whether it be for running errands around town or traveling across the country.

Tusk is an accessories maker that is known for building durable and reasonable priced products for Adventure and Dual Sport motorcycles. They offer top racks for a wide variety of popular bikes including the Honda Africa Twin, KTM 690 Enduro, KTM 1190 Adventure, DR650, DR-Z400 and WR250R. All are bike-specific designs, following the lines of the motorcycle to maintain the aesthetics of the bike.

The Tusk Top Rack can be mounted with or without Tusk side pannier racks installed on the KTM 690 Enduro.

Tusk Top Racks are made out of lightweight but sturdy 1/4” aluminum and come with all the hardware that you need for installation. They feature multiple laser-cut holes and slots that make it easy to tie-down a range of different loads securely. And a hard powder-coat finish offers a clean look that is resistant to wear and tear.

How It Performed

We installed a Tusk Top Rack on the KTM 690 Enduro R, which is a bike that doesn’t come from the factory with any kind of rear rack. Installing a top rack on the KTM 690 Enduro is a bit more involved than other bikes due to the fact that the 690 doesn’t have a traditional subframe (it uses a rear gas tank as a subframe).

Our installation went smoothly thanks to the clear instructions included. There is also a video available online with step-by-step instructions for the install, which can really come in handy if you’re not the instruction manual type. It does require drilling a few holes in the bodywork but otherwise, putting on the Tusk Top Rack is fairly straightforward and simple enough for someone with basic mechanic skills to complete the job.

Once installed, the Tusk Rack looks perfectly at home on the KTM 690 Enduro and the fact that it’s not overly large ensures it remains streamlined on the trail. For its first trip, we loaded it up for a rugged 1,000-mile adventure ride through Southeast Utah. Overloading the rear of a KTM 690 Enduro is always a bit of concern because of its lack of a true subframe but we had no trouble attaching an auxiliary fuel canister and a duffel bag to the rack during the trip.

The large holes on the rack made it easy to route mounting straps for a top bag and there were many options for hooking on a cargo net when carrying odd-shapped loads like firewood or beverages to camp. Additionally, the rack has ample room to accommodate many styles of top bags, a top case or a RotopaX auxiliary fuel container.

Large cutouts in the Tusk Rack make it easy to route mounting straps or hook on odd-shaped loads with a cargo net.

It’s hard to find fault with the Tusk Top Rack but if we are nitpicking, one improvement we would suggest is to give the rack angled-down sides that have cutouts for straps. This design allows you to maximize cargo space by attaching straps on the angled-down sides where they don’t interfere with luggage sitting flat on the top surface area. Yet as it is, the Tusk Top Rack still does everything you need it to do, and best of all, it’s one of the most budget-friendly racks available on the market.

Who is it For?

Anyone that wants to improve the cargo carrying capacity of their bike with a simple, durable and spacious top rack.

Our Verdict

Overall, this top rack is a great value in the sub-$100 range. And while not overly flashy, it looks good on the bike and does exactly what you need it to do. It’s a simple, durable and functional product that won’t let you down on the trail — exactly what you need if you plan on heading out to the middle of nowhere.

What We Liked

• Quality product at a great price.
• Durable enough for off-road use.
• Nice powder-coated finish.
• Quick and painless installation.

What Could Be Improved

• Angled sides would help free up more top surface area for cargo.

Tusk Pannier System Specs

Colors: Black
Construction: 1/4” powder-coated aluminum laser cut
Price: $59.99 – $79.99

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About the Author: Chad Berger is a freelance journalist, photographer and tour guide from Wisconsin. Since 2004, he has been riding dual sport and adventure bikes all over the Midwest, the Black Hills of South Dakota, Moab, Baja, Alaska and many other places in between. He shares his experiences through the photography, videos and stories he produces from his trips. In 2008, he created a 600-mile dual sport route called the Trans Wisconsin Adventure Trail (TWAT), which eventually led to his becoming a tour guide for RIDE Adventures.

Photos by Chad Berger